Cute Patootie
January 13, 2004 - 11:29 p.m.
Weekend Update (w/o KN) and Teething
January 13, 2004 - 11:07 p.m.
Some weekend! Marlee and I braved Super Wal-Mart by ourselves on Saturday, which just isn't as easy as it sounds. Usually when we go, Marlee's patience runs out as we are nearing the checkout line, so Tim takes her out to the car and drives around while I checkout. This weekend was worse than the day before Christmas at Wal-Mart, I couldn't even make it down some of the aisles. Marlee started to lose it in the frozen foods section and started with her high pitched shouts - like an alarm, every couple of seconds. To her credit I had her strapped in her car seat with frozen food stacked all around her in the cart. But I also had a brand new Glo-Worm sitting in her lap to play with! When we got to the checkout lane she continued her periodic screams, of course everyone had to mention something about it. Then the cashier in the opposite lane peaked in at her and Marlee just lost it.
I am reluctant to say that Marlee is teething, only for the reason that I don't know what teething is like and though it sure seems like it, she might not be. She was running a low-grade fever Friday night, only 99.9, but her cheeks were flaming red and she was pretty crabby. Crabby turned to inconsolable Saturday night and continued throughout Sunday. The poor little girl acted like she wanted to be in a good mood, but was screaming and upset and definitely in pain.
I am so confused. She was drooling/chewing and all the teething symptoms. Oragel and Tylenol worked for short periods of time...as well as teething toys but mainly all we could do was hold her, nurse her and put up with it. Saturday night Tim and I pried her mouth open and both thought we saw her two bottom teeth starting to show through, but Sunday morning we couldn't see them anymore. Sunday night it looked like teeth there again. They aren't popping through, I can just see a little bit of white in two places next to each other under her gums.
I am in such denial though, because I don't want to say it is teething if it is not...you know? I wish there was a light on the kid's head that would flash if I got the diagnosis right.
I can't wait until Marlee's 4-month check up. It's over a week away. Such a long time goes between these things. I have a list of questions a mile long. I want to know about her teeth (though I hope we find out before then!) and solids, her weight gain...I know she's longer but she's looking so much thinner, I don't think she's double her birth weight yet.
Moving Up Fast!
January 09, 2004 - 12:15 p.m.
Marlee is 16 weeks old! Every day is something new with her. Last night she slept through the night - from 8:30pm to 5am. She might just be getting back into her normal schedule, now that we're through the Holidays! I really hope so.
We're also dealing with the flu here...turns out what my mom had is exactly what Tim had a few weeks ago. Marlee is doing pretty well with it, she's a few days ahead of me and I am worse off than her. She hasn't been sleeping well and the sore throat is really making her cranky but with some Tylenol and extra fluids we're getting through.
Marlee has started to spit up less in just the last few days!!! It was an all-of-a-sudden thing. Tim and I both noticed this morning, that her spit ups have gone from huge 2+ounce messes to dribbles. WHen she does spit up, there is still a good amount of stomach acid though. We're also out of Zantac again. I am going to go a few days and see if she really needs it anymore. At the end of the bottle it didn't really seem to be helping and just made her restless. It could appear that she is less bothered by the reflux because of the Tylenol, but since we're done with that for the most part, we'll see within a few days.
Daycare let Marlee CIO yesterday because she wouldn't nap. I myself have done it when Marlee refuses to nap, it's just sad that it has to get to that point. Marlee also pooped all over herself and daycare sent home the onsie in a plastic bag - it was annihilated. I threw it away! Poop on the front, poop on the back, all the way up to the neck! DISGUSTING. Marlee's doc has me putting a tsp of mineral oil in her bottles so she will poop more often - I think it is working! She's been going every 3 days or so, which is a much needed improvement over the 7-10 days before. She still gets really gassy and uncomfortable in between them though, I think if she went once a day things would be much better. I sure am saving on wipes though. I started using them for spit-up.
When she was really sick with the flu, I gave her some water like that for extra hydration, just a few ounces here and there. She's been holding on to her bottles with both hands, but she can't quite hold them up herself just yet. Since she has taken interest, though, I have been using Avent's sippy cup handles on her bottles. She can pick it up and put it to her mouth, but can't quite get it tipped back enough to get anything in the nipple. I give her a chance to practice with water in her cup every night when we come home.
I got her on video picking it up off her high chair and aiming for her mouth. Last night, I was holding her and drinking tea out of a mug...she kept grabbing the mug and pulling it towards her face. So I sat her in her high chair and gave her an empty cup. She grabbed it with both hands and put it up to her mouth! Then I put some water in it and helped her drink out of it! It was so cool! I tried to get that on video but she ended up whipping the cup at me. LOL.
So she is starting to take major interest in food and drinking. She watches us intently when we eat. I think she'll be ready for solids soon. I am going to hold out until her 4-month appointment at the end of this month at least, and hopefully a little longer. She'll be 18 weeks by then, I'd like to hold out till 20. I wanted to wait until she was 6 months but she's showing so much interest...like grabbing corn off my plate at Christmas and she grabbed a fistful of potatoes Monday night.
Marlee's been working on sitting up. She can sit up and pull herself to standing when I hold her hands. Now we have a kick toy that I usually put her in her Boppy in front of. Last time I did it, she sat up in the boppy so she could see her feet better. She's still rolling from front to back, but not quite there on back to front. She throws her legs up and can almost get over, if it weren't for those darn arms!!
We're already looking to get a new car seat. Marlee hasn't yet grown out of her infant carrier, but I am anxious to move her to a convertible. I have it narrowed down the the Britax Roundabout or Marathon...I have to "test drive" them first, see how she fits in them and if it will fit in our car.
Moving up fast!